Harry Potter and the Eagle's Flight
by Cuthbert the Pure
Summary: A 6th year fic. About the continuing war with Voldemort and Harry is forced to...NVM, I suck at summaries. HPGW Romance later. Also RWHG...maybe. R&R Please.
1. Hedwig's Letter

**Harry Potter and the Eagle's Flight**

By Cuthbert the Pure

A/N: This is my first attempt at a Harry fic, so feel free to yell, scream, and yodel at me all you want. I wrote this after finishing HBP, because I hated the way JK was taking her series. So sorry Mrs. Rowling, but number 6 really sucked. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters, storylines, places, and anything else that comes from any of the Harry Potter books (no matter how much I want to own them).

**Chapter One: Hedwig's Letter**

Harry Potter woke with his scar hurting, but feeling extraordinarily happy. He somehow knew that Voldemort had committed (or received news of) another murder. He hoped it wasn't anyone in the Order. So far, anyone Harry knew personally had survived. For this, he was extremely grateful. As far as Harry knew, no Death Eaters had been killed either. For this, he was very ungrateful. However, as Harry rubbed his scar anxiously, he could not help notice that his owl, Hedwig, was soaring towards his window, a letter tied to his leg. His heart skipped a beat. After so many weeks of waiting, was this finally the letter he had been waiting for? Had Ron finally written to him, inviting him to either The Burrow or even Grimmauld Place? However, as Hedwig flew in through his window, sticking his leg out towards him, Harry saw that he did not recognize the writing on the front of the envelope. Feeling depressed once more, Harry took the letter from Hedwig. She soared back out into the night. Harry tore open the envelope, and extracted the letter within. Sitting down, he read through it quickly.

_Mr. Harry Potter,_

_Gringotts Wizarding Bank has recently received new that one Sirius Black was declared dead by Albus Dumbledore, headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft of Wizardry. After receiving a copy of Mr. Black's will, we find you, Harry James Potter, to be the sole beneficiary of the Vault of the Black Family. Enclosed, you will find a copy of the vault number, an official document of the Gringotts Wizarding Bank, and a document stating the Black Vault Balance. Gringotts wishes you a very pleasant summer before your return to Hogwarts,_

_Best wishes,_

_Resa Freyhold_

_Resa Freyhold_

_Head Goblin of Gringotts Wizarding Bank._

Harry Read stared silently at the letter before reading it one more time. Most would have expected him to feel happy. However, Harry was more depressed at the news. It reminded him of Sirius's death. Harry had had nightmares about it over and over all summer, and he didn't need reminding of it from Gringotts. He sighed and glanced at one of the documents.

_Vault #416, Lower Level. British Horntail._

Harry frowned at the last bit of this slip. British Horntail? Shrugging, he placed the slip aside and looked at the next one.

_Present this document to any Gringotts Goblin to receive all four keys to the Black Vault._

Harry smirked at the number of keys and then looked at the next slip of paper.

_The current balance of the Black Family Vault is seventeen thousand galleons and three thousand sickles. Various family heirlooms are also stored within the vault._

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Seventeen thousand galleons? Harry realized he could probably buy about twenty Firebolts with that much money. Taking a few deep breaths, he managed to store the letter along with the three slips of parchment under his floorboard and then sit back down on his bed. After sitting, he closed his eyes; trying to imagine what seventeen thousand galleons would look like, only to be hit in the side of the head with something hard. He opened his eyes and immediately saw Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl. Grinning broadly, he grabbed the letter from Pig's leg, and tore open the envelope, only barely registering that Pig flew from his room, twittering madly. He opened the letter, reading quickly.

_Harry,_

_I finally persuaded Mum to come and get you from the Muggles. We're coming to take you to the Burrow on Friday Night at 7 o'clock. Make sure it's OK with the muggles, but we're coming anyway. We would be taking you to Grimmauld place, but it kicked us out. Dumbledore said something about you having to let us use it, but I don't know why. Anyway, I'll see you Friday, mate._

_Ron Weasley_

_P.S. We're coming by car this time!_

Harry grinned giddily. He was finally going to the Burrow. He lay on his bed, thinking absolutely nothing could spoil his happy mood, Ron's letter still clutched in his hand. Just then, another owl swooped into his room. It was a handsome tawny, one he did not recognize. He did, however, recognize Hermione's neat writing on the envelope. He took the letter from the owl's leg and watched it swoop out into the night. He then took out Hermione's letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_ Ron just invited me to the Burrow! He told me he invited you as well, and if you haven't gotten your letter yet, it should be there soon. I'll see you on Saturday. Mr. Weasley won't be able to come get me until then. Crookshanks found a cat in the neighborhood, and now we've got little kittens all over the place. Anyway, I have to go. See you soon!_

_ Love from,_

_Hermione Granger_

Harry grinned at the thought of baby Crookshanks. He then drifted off to sleep, the letters from his two best friends lying on his chest.

The next morning, Harry broke the news to Uncle Vernon about having a full grown wizard coming to pick him up at breakfast.

"Uncle Vernon?" He said timidly. A grunt from behind the newspaper told him to continue.

"My friend Ron wrote me a letter to ask if I could spend the rest of the holidays with and his family." The paper went down to show Uncle Vernon's overlarge mustache.

"What does this have to do with me?" He said, a hint of anger already in his voice.

"Well, they'd be coming to pick me up, of course, and I thought maybe…you might…" Harry trailed off.

"Pick you up? They'd wouldn't be arriving by _fireplace_ again, would they?" Harry stifled a smile and answered,

"No. They'd be coming by car." Uncle Vernon frowned, the silence broken only by Dudley's wolfing down of the bacon and eggs that Aunt Petunia had made. The diet had effectively worked, and Dudley had been reduced to the size of a baby hippopotamus, as opposed to the previous whale. Dudley had also taken up the sport of Rugby, and played for the Little Whinging Wolves, placed third in the Junior Division.

"Fine. As long as your behavior is satisfactory between now and…"

"Friday." Harry supplied.

"Yes, Friday, then you can go. Any…any…_you-know-what_, and you'll be staying, got it?" Uncle Vernon finished, mustache bristling.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry replied, continuing with his measly breakfast.

The next four days went by without incident, and by 6 o'clock on Friday evening, Harry was packed and ready to go. He took a long time looking at his reflection before heading downstairs with his trunk. He had grown a good four inches over the summer, and his hair was longer and messier then ever. He startling green eyes seemed brighter somehow, but Harry supposed it was just his imagination. Downstairs, the atmosphere was intense. It felt almost the same as the night the Weasley's had destroyed half the Dursley's living room. Harry waited until 6:45 before heading into the hall to wait. No sooner had he sat down on the bottom stair, the doorbell rang. Somehow, Uncle Vernon beat him to it. Harry caught a glimpse of six or seven people and three cars before Uncle Vernon blocked his view. However, he seemed lost for words. It was Alastor Moody's voice he heard break the silence.

"Is he ready to go, Dursley?" Harry heard his Uncle mutter something and then move from the door. Harry saw his usual guard standing on his doorstep. First and foremost was Mad-eye Moody, then Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Arthur Weasley, and bringing up the rear was Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mundungus Fletcher, and his friend Ron.

"Wotcher Harry." He heard Tonks. He waved and picked up his trunk, muttering a farewell to his Uncle and stepping over the threshold of his home. As soon as the door shut, Ron burst out laughing, with chuckles from Lupin and Moody.

"You should have seen his face, mate." Ron said between laughs.

"Yeah, well, I think he was expecting one wizard," Harry smiled, "and you're early."

"Oh, sorry about that, Harry, but we…" Mr. Weasley started, but Harry interrupted him.

"No, I was thanking you for coming early." Mr. Weasley smiled and then he was ushered into the rear car of the two, along with Ron, Kingsley, and Mr. Weasley as the driver. His trunk and Hedwig's cage, he saw, were thrown unceremoniously into the trunk of the front car by Tonks. The trip to The Burrow was fun, with Ron telling him all about Fred and George's joke shop, and Ginny getting a new owl. It was a snow owl, like Harry's and she had named it Rowena, after Ravenclaw's founder. Harry leaned back, listening to Ron tell him all about Charlie visiting and revealing that he had lost half his hand to a vicious bite from a Hungarian Horntail. It was going to be a great year, he thought to himself.

The next day at The Burrow, Hermione arrived and the trio had a nice long talk about the war. These talks had started by letter at the beginning of summer, but now that they were together, they were much more interesting. Harry opened by telling him about his scar, but yet feeling happy.

"Well, Dad said that an Auror was found dead this morning in East Surrey. Could that be it?" Ron asked, sounding rather unsure.

"No. This kind of happy was like…it was like someone in the Order had died." Harry replied, sighing.

"But we'd know if someone in the Order died." Hermione concluded.

"I know." Harry muttered.

"Well, suppose an Order member did die…think it'd be Snape?" Ron added hopefully.

"Ron, we already decided an Order member _didn't_ die." Hermione frowned. Ron muttered something about knowing. Harry continued the conversation.

"I've been stealing the papers from Muggle bins all summer, and there've been loads of weird muggle deaths. Doctors can't figure out why they're dying."

"Well, that's the thing about the Killing Curse," Hermione said, "it shows no cause of death. It's also good for V-Voldemort because it kills instantly." Ron took a sharp intake of breath at Voldemorts name. Harry, however, smiled slightly. After all these years, Hermione still had trouble saying his name.

"Would you two stop saying you-know-who's name?" Ron hissed.

"His name? Ron, that's not his name. Tom Riddle is his name. I just call him by Voldemort…" Ron flinched, "because that's what everyone else _doesn't_ call him." Ron buried his face in his hands. Both Harry and Hermione laughed. A voice came from the door.

"What's so funny?" Harry turned on the bed and saw Ginny standing in the doorway. She had grown at least half a foot over the summer, but still about two or three inches shorter than Harry. She had also grown out her hair, so it was about halfway down her back. In Harry's opinion, she was quite pretty. So pretty, in fact, Harry was lost for words. Hermione answered her question.

"You brother."

"Of course." She replied smartly. "Come down for lunch, Mum's almost got it ready."

"Ok, we'll be down soon."

"Good. Hi, Harry." She then left, he hair flinging out behind her. Ron stared at him for a minute and then got up and left, saying something about being hungry. Hermione followed, and soon as Harry retained use of his legs, so did he.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully, apart from Fred and George appearing at dinner with a loud crack, much to the dismay of Mr. Weasley, as they landed on him carrying his dinner to the table. The next day, however, Hedwig arrived with his letter from Hogwarts. Opening the envelope, he suddenly remembered that OWL results were arriving. His heart skipped a beat. He obviously knew that Hermione would get and O on every single OWL she had taken. Ron would probably do pretty well too. He only hoped Ron did well enough so that they could have all the same classes together this term. So, throwing caution to the winds, he tore open the envelope. It was the first thing he saw when then envelope was open.

_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_

_PASSFAIL_

_Outstanding (O)Poor (P)_

_Exceeds Expectations (E)Dreadful (D)_

_Acceptable (A)Troll (T)_

Harry James Potter has achieved the following OWL results:

Astronomy

A

Care of Magical Creatures

E

Charms

E

Defense against the Dark Arts

O

Divination

D

Herbology

E

History of Magic

D

Potions

O

Transfiguration

O

Harry stared at his results for longer than two minutes. He did not dare believe his eyes. The first thing he noticed was his dream to become an Auror was still alive. The only thing he worried about was if Ron had passed his Potions OWL. At that moment, Ron burst into the room, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"I did it! I'm gonna be an Auror! I got an O in Potions, mate. An O in _Potions_." He whispered the last word. Just then, Hermione ran into the room as well.

"I got eleven OWLs, out of eleven subjects." Both Ron and Harry stared. She blushed and then said softly,

"How did you two do then? Come on, let me see." She grabbed the letters from their hands and read through them quickly. Handing them back, she said quietly,

"At least Harry didn't get any T's, Ron."

A/N: Well, there it is. I'm sorry it's so short. If I got anything out of the books wrong, let me know and I'll be happy to explain why it changed. Many of the answers may be…"I decided to change it." But you can only give it a shot. And remember, I only wrote this because I didn't like HBP. And, plus, it feels really good to write about Harry like I own him, which I don't. (No matter how much I'd like to.) Have a safe trip home, and come again soon.

MISC STUFF: I'm gonna try and update at least once a week. Things may prevent me from doing so, but badger me to death and I'll eventually get to it. Goodnight!


	2. An Eagle in the Making

**Harry Potter and the Eagle's Flight**

By Cuthbert the Pure

A/N: Here's chapter two. It's a little longer than the first, but I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns mostly everything out of this story, and she is now richer than the Queen of England because of it.

**Chapter Two: An Eagle in the Making**

Two days after they received their OWL results, Ron and Harry were involved in a violent game of chess when Harry heard Mrs. Weasley calling his name. He shrugged at Ron's confused face and ran down the many flights of stairs. He reached the bottom and was surprised to see Dumbledore sitting at the dinner table.

"Sit down, please Harry." He said quietly. Harry sat timidly. The last time he had seen Dumbledore, he had destroyed half of his office in a furious rage shortly after the death of Sirius. He tried to look innocently puzzled.

"I assume by now that you have come to terms with your Godfather's death, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes genuinely worried. Harry nodded slowly, but truthfully he knew that the closest he would ever come to accepting Sirius's death would be when his killer was also deceased.

"Good, because this conversation concerns him, and his will. His will was found in Grimmauld Place shortly after he died. In it, he stated that he left everything to you, Harry." Dumbledore kept his eyes locked onto Harry's.

"I know, sir," said Harry, "Gringotts sent me a letter saying that I was in charge of the Black Family Vault." Dumbledore nodded,

"Well, when Sirius said 'everything,' he also meant Grimmauld Place. Shortly after the will was read, we were evicted from the house by old spells the Blacks must have placed upon their home. So, Harry, we need your permission to continue using it as headquarters."

"Oh yeah, that's fine." Harry felt weird telling Dumbledore that he could use _his_ house.

"Excellent. However, you are also now the rightful owner of the house elf, Kreacher."

"Oh, I don't want him, sir. Can I give him clothes?" Harry added hopefully.

"I would advise against it, as he knows too many of the dealings of the Order. But, he is your elf, Harry, so you can do whatever you want with him." Harry suddenly had a brainstorm.

"Sir? Is there anyway you could bring him here so I could talk to him?" Dumbledore smiled and said clearly to the empty room,

"Kreacher, your master would like to talk." Then, with an earsplitting _crack_, Kreacher appeared on the dining table, crying at the top of his lungs. Dumbledore leaned over the table and spoke loudly to Harry,

"Kreacher still hasn't quite come to accept that he must take orders from you." Harry grimaced and shouted,

"Kreacher! Be quiet!" Kreacher immediately stopped bawling, but he looked like he was having extreme difficulty holding it all back.

"Now, Kreacher, I would like you to come and live with the Weasleys. They will be your new masters, but I forbid you to talk to them in any way they wouldn't like. Do you understand?" After what looked like a moment's hard struggle, Kreacher said slowly and politely,

"Yes, sir."

"Good, you can go get anything you want from Grimmauld Place, but I want you back here in ten minutes." Then, with another earsplitting _crack_, Kreacher disappeared. Dumbledore smiled appreciatively at Harry.

However, the surprises weren't over when Owls from Hogwarts arrived the next day. They contained a letter each from Professor McGonagall and new booklists. There were four new books each for Harry and Ron and six new books for Hermione. The books for Harry were:

_NEWT Standard Charms _by Miranda Goshawk

_Transfiguration for the Natural _by Miranda Goshawk

_The Potion Masters Handbook _by Opal Simmer

_Defensive Spells and Practices _by Robert Jinxed

Harry looked through his letter alone in the backyard, while Crookshanks chased Gnomes around the bench he was sitting on. He sighed quietly, thinking back to the night Sirius died. He watched it play through his mind slowly. He saw the curse that hit Sirius directly in the chest, slinging him back through the veil, and then he heard Beatrix's cry of triumph. A fresh wave of fury swept through his entire body, but it wasstifled quickly when he heard a window bang open above him. He looked up and saw Ron's face jutting out from the wall of their house. He heard his voice distantly,

"Hey, mate, come up here a second…I've got something to show you." Harry waved his understanding and jogged to the house. He had almost made it to Ron's room, when Ginny emerged from her own. They looked at each for a minute, and then Harry managed to get his tongue around a few words,

"Hi, Ginny."

"Hi, Harry. How many OWLs did you get? Hermione wouldn't say." She replied.

"Oh…seven out of nine. You have OWLs this year right?"

"Yeah, Fred and George told me it's hell."

"Oh, yeah it is. Any idea what you wanna be when you leave Hogwarts?" Harry was surprised to find how easy it was to talk to Ginny, even when she looked like she did. She blushed, however, and Harry found it even cuter.

"You better not laugh." She warned.

"I won't. Promise." He smiled

"OK…I'd like to play Quidditch." Harry found he didn't even want to laugh.

"Really? Who for?" She grinned,

"The Chudley Cannons."

"That's great. Well, I'm supposed to be meeting Ron, so…"

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later, Harry." She continued down the stairs, but Harry watched her leave, taking in her slender curves. Shaking his head, he went into Ron's room. Little did he know, a certain fifth year girl turned back to look at him as well.

In Ron's room, Harry was surprised to find that Ron had received another piece of parchment.

"Here, have a look." He thrust the letter into Harry's hand.

_Dear Mr. Weasley,_

_All students attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who come of age (age seventeen) before 31st of August of this coming school year may sign up for Apparition lessons. Please send your reply back by OWL before September 1st._

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Head of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

"That's boss, mate." Harry replied wearily, the memory of Beatrix's laugh still boring into him. Ron looked crestfallen at his answer, but then he noticed something in Harry's hand. He pointed,

"What's that?" Harry looked down and saw his letter still clutched in his fist.

"Oh, it's just my Hogwarts letter."

"Not that. This!" He pulled a slip of parchment out from underneath the letter and read through it quickly, his eyes getting wider every minute. He then finished and yelled,

"I knew it!" This shout earned a fresh set of bangings from the ghoul in the attic, but Harry grabbed the letter and read.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected as this years Quidditch Captain for the Gryffindor House Team. This means that tryouts and practice times will now be your responsibility. You will be expected to show good sportsmanship and etiquette in each game._

_Wishing you a very good season,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Head of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Harry grinned at the letter. The thoughts of Beatrix and Sirius now gone from his mind, he emerged in a lengthy conversation about Quidditch with Ron. They discussed who would be the two new chasers on the team and also the new beaters, as Fred and George's business was booming and they had no intention of returning to Hogwarts. Ginny's name didn't emerge at all in the conversation, but she kept returning to Harry's mind many times.

The next day, Harry found that the surprises still were not over. After a very tiring game of Quidditch in the forest north of The Burrow, in which Ginny scored many a time past Ron, Lupins head appeared in the Weasley's fireplace, wanting a chat with Harry. He sat down in the chair facing the fireplace.

"Anything wrong, Professor?" He asked.

"Actually…well first Harry, I wanted to talk to you about your protection at Hogwarts this year." Harry nodded, understanding suddenly why Lupin wanted to talk.

"Harry, all of us here at the Order know about your affinity to go wandering around the castle at nighttime, and getting into all sorts of trouble. You know what I mean." Harry didn't bother hiding the grin that rose to his face.

"Well, I'm not going to tell you to stop," Lupin continued, "as I know you won't. However, we would like to take extra precautions this year."

"Well, I have my dad's invisibility cloak and the map…" Harry started.

"Voldemort know that you have these things and he has, of course, set up for these things. So, Harry, what would you say to become an Animagus?" Lupin grinned, but Harry was lost for words. Millions of questions raced through Harry's brain, stifling any other thought.

"Harry?" Lupin brought him back to the real world.

"Of…of…of course," he stammered, but then Ron's and Hermione's face floated to the surface of his mind, "but what about…"

"Ron and Hermione will also be allowed to attend the lessons if they would like. Any thoughts on the animal you would like to become, Harry?" Hundreds of names of animals raced through Harry's mind, and he was about to say he didn't know, but instead he heard his voice say,

"An eagle." Lupin smiled,

"An eagle will require a lot of concentration and preparation." Harry nodded and then frowned,

"Who will be teaching me, Professor?"

"I will." Harry grinned.

When Harry told Ron that afternoon, the ghoul must have almost died from shock at the explosion of noise from Ron's room. Even Ginny ran into the room, thinking someone might have won a large amount of gold. After Ginny left, Hermione also entered and Ron broke the news. Instead of being excited, she seemed distressed.

"I don't know. Isn't it supposed to be really dangerous?"

"Who cares?" Said Ron, lying back on his bed, staring up at the Chudley cannon posters.

"Well, you'll carewhen you're stuck with half the head of a dolphin." Ron scoffed,

"Who'd wanna be able to turn into a dolphin?" Hermione placed her hands on her hips and replied,

"Well, what did you wanna be?" Ron was silent for a minute.

"I don't know." He muttered, but Harry had the strangest feeling Ron did know what he wanted to become.

"Well, if you guys wanna do this, Professor Lupin said to send him and owl with your answer and your animal." Harry spoke to the room in general. Hermione then left, still wringing her hands.

"Mental, she is. Imagine having the chance to become an Animagus and not doing it." Ron said.

"Yeah." Harry muttered, but he could understand how Hermione felt.

That night at dinner, Mrs. Weasley told them they would be going to Diagon Alley the next day. She seemed distressed and Harry supposed it was through lack of gold.

"You'll be able to see Fred and George's shop." Ron spoke through a mouthful of roast. Harry didn't reply, as thoughts of Sirius had returned. He had tried to push them away all day, but with so many people, his mind just kept pushing back. Just then, Charlie arrived with a _crack_. He sat down at the end of the table saying,

"Excellent. I love roast." As he reached out to grab the plate, Harry noticed Charlie's left hand. Half of it was gone, leaving only the thumb and two fingers. Charlie noticed him looking and grinned. Harry asked,

"Why couldn't they put it back on?"

"Well," replied Charlie, "I'm not sure if there's even a spell, but they said it was too severe a biteanyway." Harry oh'd and went back to his meal, wondering how it would feel to half a hand bitten off by a dragon.

The next morning Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley's traveled to Diagon alley by Floo Powder. Harry had no trouble this time, and arrived in the Leaky Cauldron with Ron only seconds behind him. Together they entered Diagon Alley and headed directly to Gringotts, where Harry handed the letterhe had received before going toThe Burrow tothe goblin at the counter and was given four keys to the Black Vault. Harry only planned on visiting the vault, for he knew the money in his own vault would last him many years. They visited the Weasley's vault first, which was devoid of any gold, and only contained silver. Harry wondered how they were able to make ends meet. When they arrived at Harry's vault, he had another brainstorm. He swept close to fifty galleons into his own pouch and then turning as if to leave, he grabbed the pouch from Mrs. Weasley and emptied close to one hundred galleons out of his vault into the leather sack. Mrs. Weasley gasped, but Harry said,

"Just take it." He pushed the pouch into her hands, hopped back into the cart and said to the goblin in an official tone of voice,

"Vault number 416, lower level please." The goblin complied once the Weasley's had boarded the cart. The reached the vault in a little under a minute. The door was very nondescript, but Harry saw no keyhole. When he stepped out of the cart, the goblin gave them a very menacing warning,

"Before we reach the fifth door, I suggest that you stand back. There is no saving you down here is we have a…_accident_." The goblin smirked and ran a finger down the length of the door. It melted away slowly. The next door Harry saw took his breath away. It looked to be made of solid gold and was studded with many jewels. Two very scary looking gargoyles guarded it. The only thing that hindered the picture was a man-sized skeleton leaning against the wall. The goblin took no notice of it and stopped next to the door. Harry then saw a keyhole and looked down at the four keys in his hand. He saw that one of them had a tiny number '1' engraved on the handle. He inserted this into the keyhole and turned it. This door also melted away slowly, leaving the key in his hand. The next three doors looked almost the same as the second, with the absence on gargoyles and skeletons. When the reached the fifth door, the goblin pressed a small button on the wall, and with a loud _crack_, six wizards appeared before them. They all smiled at Harry. He handed the key to the closest one and stepped back, watching with interest. They all had their wands out, and the minute the door melted away, all six shot stunning spells into the room beyond. Harry heard a deafening _crunch _and followed the wizards into the room. Harry suddenly understood the _'British Horntail'_ on the letter he had received. It was the type of dragon that guarded his vault. The room that held it was huge, and completely empty, except for the large red dragon that was slumped in the middle of the floor. Harry saw another door across the room and jogged to it, but then realized he only had four keys. The goblin was right behind him, however, and he ran another finger down the length of the door and stepped back as it melted away. Harry entered the room to be disappointed. It was empty, although it was the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The goblin stared at him for a moment and then said,

"Speak your name, and the gold will be revealed only to you." Looking back, Harry saw that only he had entered the room. He motioned for the Weasleys to follow, but he saw that when they tried, they could not. He heard the goblin say,

"Only the rightful owner of this vault may enter." Harry nodded and spoke, loudly and clearly,

"Harry James Potter." Suddenly the room was filled with towering columns of gold and silver. In one corner, he saw a huge trunk. He crossed to it, making his way around a mountain of galleons, and opened it. Inside were small trinkets that were embossed with the Black Family Crest. He recognized it from the goblet he had seen last year. He took a deep breath and closed the trunk, leaving it in a hurry. Being in here reminded him of Sirius and that was the last thing he needed. So, after making his way back past the dragon, through all five doors, up the winding rails, and out of the Gringotts doors did he feel ready to get his new books. As he headed to Flourish and Blotts, however, Mrs. Weasley said to him,

"No, dear, I'll get your books for you. You go with the others to that joke shop of Fred and George's." Harry thanked Mrs. Weasley, handed her some gold, and then strolled towards the two bright flashes of red hair heading into a shop. He stopped outside to admire the sign.

WEASLEY'S WIZARDING WHEEZES

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS TO HOGWARTS STUDENTS

Harry grinned at the sign and entered the store. The first thing he clapped eyes on was Fred, blocking his view of anything.

"Harry, mate, how you been? Got rid of that old bag from the ministry, I heard. You and Hermione did us all a real favor, mate." Harry nodded, already in a good mood.

"Yeah, it was mostly Hermione though. Think I could get a look at your shop? I'm dying to buy some stuff…" Harry jingled his money bag. Fred looked horrified.

"You? Pay? I don't think so. You started us off…you take anything you want from this 'ere store for free and none of us will bash an eyelash." Harry started to protest, but then George joined them.

"Fred's right, mate. You get everything for free. Plus, we get too much money from everyone else to handle. Oh, and by the way," he lowered his voice slighter, "all the best stuff is at the back." Harry grinned and headed immediately to the back, where he found Ron and Hermione looking at a plain box with some simple writing on it.

LOVE GALLEON

One touch and he or she will fall madly in love with you.

WARNING: Wears off in 2-4 days, leaving the victim completely unaware of anything that you may have chosen to with them.

"That's brilliant." Ron muttered.

"Highly advanced magic…" Hermione was saying. Harry startled them both by saying,

"He was right…the best stuff is at the back." They both laughed and spent a good hour browsing the entire store. They left with the backpacks considerably heavier. Harry had refused to take anything for free, so his money bag was also lighter. They spent the rest of the day eating Florean's ice cream and looking through their new books. Harry felt that this would be one of his best years at Hogwarts, even with the prospect of Voldemort attacking him at any moment.

A/N: I hope you liked it. Once again, I apologize for typos and anything else of that sort. Anything else you noticed…please let me know. And in response to Bloodless Ace's review. Sorry, mate, I'll make sure that I take extra careful care to get HER gender right in the future.

MISC STUFF: Nothing this chapter. Come again!


	3. Coming Home Again

**Harry Potter and the Eagle's Flight**

By Cuthbert the Pure

A/N: Your word is my command…so here's chapter three. I was a little unsure of bits and pieces of this chapter, so let me know how you felt about it.

Disclaimer: This Universe is not mine, it belongs to JK Rowling, the silly woman that she is.

**Chapter Three: Coming Home Again**

The biggest surprise of the summer was yet to come as Harry left the ice cream parlor with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. He attempted to enter the fireplace back to The Burrow first, but Ron shoved past him and disappeared a moment later in a flash of green fire. Angry, he tried to leave, but Hermione pushed by and disappeared a moment later. That left him and Ginny alone in the Leaky Cauldron. Only the barman stood watching them. After a moment's silence, Harry stepped back to let Ginny go first. She did so with a smile and then Harry took a pinch of Floo Powder, said "The Burrow," and then he felt that familiar spinning sensation. As he slowed down, he put his hands out to stop hitting the floor, and was met with an explosion of voices all yelling the same thing,

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!" Stunned, Harry stood up and looked around. It seemed the entire country had turned out to celebrate his birthday. Harry had completely forgotten about his birthday in the light of going back to school, but then he realized that his birthday had already passed. He attempted to say something, but Mrs. Weasley beat him to it.

"Sorry it's so late, dear, but we couldn't figure out any time to set everything up without you knowing." He nodded and looked at Ron and Hermione.

"Did you two…?" He started. After seeing them both nod vigorously, he said something along the lines of, "you bugger" amid laughter. After the initial shock of having been thrown a surprise birthday party, he was able to settle in to have a nice time with all his friends. It seemed almost the entire Order had turned up. He caught sight of Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dedalus Diggle, and even old Mundungus Fletcher was seen in a corner with the twins. He wasn't able to catch a word of the conversation, but for some reason didn't want to know. There was no sign of Lupin the entire night. The biggest part of the evening for Harry was shortly after he arrived. Ginny approached him and gave him a tender hug. For the shortest moment, Harry caught a snatch of her perfume mixed with the smell of the shampoo she had used that morning. It was bliss. But then she broke away, muttered, "Happy Birthday," and hurried off to talk with Tonks. Shortly after midnight, Dumbledore showed up, wished Harry a Happy Birthday, and then steered him into the kitchen. It was empty. Dumbledore spoke, his voice barely audible above the noise coming from the next room,

"Remus has told me that you wish to become an eagle Animagus, Harry?"

"Yes, sir." Harry replied, slightly confused. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled,

"Harry, I must ask you not to leave the grounds as an eagle without a staff member's permission. I had to pull a lot of strings at the ministry for you and your friends to be able to become Animagi at such an early age. It would be a shame for you to waste this privilege. Do you understand, Harry?" Harry nodded.

"Good," Dumbledore continued, "now I must go. I have urgent matters concerning the Order that I must deal with. Is there anything you wish to say before I leave, however?" Harry thought for a moment and then asked,

"Sir? Professor Lupin told me it would be okay if Ron and Hermione attended the Animagus lessons with me. But, would it be alright if I brought along someone else as well?" Dumbledore seemed to ponder the question in his mind for a moment before muttering,

"I suppose it might be possible to have four underage Animagi running around at Hogwarts. Who did you have in mind?" Harry wondered whether he should tell the Professor, and in the end it supposed it would be no harm.

"Ginny Weasley, sir." Dumbledore smiled, and without another word, he swept from the room, leaving Harry completely satisfied with the way the night had turned out. Just then, Ginny came into the room. She looked around, spotted Harry and said,

"Oh, hi Harry. Hermione just told me about the lessons Professor Lupin's giving you this year. That'll be great, won't it?" Harry decided to tease her for a minute.

"Oh, yeah. I can just imagine...I can't sleep at night, so I decided to go for a little fly around the castle grounds. It'll be a lot of fun." Harry made to leave the room, but stopped when Ginny continued,

"I'm sure it will. I wish I could come. I doubt Dumbledore would want me running around with you guys all year though." She then crossed to the cupboards in the corner, searching for something.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Harry said slowly. "In fact, I think he would give you permission." Ginny looked questioningly at Harry.

"If you wanted to, you could come with us." Ginny turned full around to Harry and placed her hands on her hips,

"Harry James Potter! How dare you tease me like that!" Harry's eyes widened.

"Tease you? Tease you? I'm not teasing. I just asked Professor Dumbledore and he said you could come." Ginny seemed to study Harry's face for a moment, and then her eyes lit up and she let out a little squeal of delight. Harry grinned.

"Oh Harry, that's wonderful. Thank you so much. I wonder what animal I could be? I could be a lion or an otter maybe. I could even be a…" Harry didn't hear what she could be next, as he had left the room to let her ponder he own thoughts.

The next two days went by without incident. Ginny had turned out to be an excellent Quidditch player, scoring past Ron many times. He had watched her appreciatively for days, his affection for her growing quickly. However, it was all pushed from his mind when he woke up on the morning of September 1st. Mrs. Weasley bustled around madly, trying to fit extra clothes into everyone's trunk. They made it to the platform 9 ¾ on time, with ten minutes to spare. This gave Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione plenty of time to find a compartment. They found one near the back of the train, loaded their stuff into it, and then Ron and Hermione went up to the prefect cabin. Harry and Ginny were left alone. Ginny started the conversation,

"So what animal do you wanna be?" Harry frowned for a moment and then remembered the upcoming Animagus lessons. He smiled,

"An eagle."

"That's nice." Ginny replied, "you've got the right idea, I think. Something that can fly. I was thinking about a dove." Harry replied quickly,

"That suits you." Ginny frowned,

"Suits me? What do you mean?"

"Well, doves are beautiful and charming, are they not?" Ginny eyed Harry nervously for a moment before he broke the silence,

"So, you're gonna try out for the Quidditch team?" This conversation carried them well into the train ride. It lasted quite a while after Ron and Hermione had joined them and only stopped once the witch with the trolley arrived. Harry loaded up on sweets and shared them with everyone. Ron was the one to start a new conversation, speaking through a mouthful of Chocolate Frog.

"So, Ginny, why aren't you with Dean in his cabin?" Ginny scoffed, nibbling the end of a Bertie Bott's bean. It was a funny green color.

"I dumped Dean in the middle of the summer. It was right before Harry arrived. He'd stopped replying to my owls, so I sent him one telling him we where finished. Still haven't received a reply." Harry smiled inwardly and he could have sworn he saw Ron's eyes flicker in his direction before Ginny muttered, 'ughh…grass.' Harry contented himself the rest of the ride daring the others to eat Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, while he was only brave enough to discover the flavor of a golden yellow one. It turned out to be toffee.

Shortly after changing into their school robes, the train slowed down and then stopped. The doors flung open and students began piling out into what turned out to be a light drizzle of rain. Harry heard a familiar voice calling out above everyone else's,

"Firs' years, over 'ere. Fir's years…this way!" Harry grinned and yelled,

"Hey Hagrid!" Harry heard him reply,

"Hey there, 'Arry. Quick, get into 'Ogwarts before you get drenched." Harry waved back and hurried up the carriages that used to be horseless. Since last year, Harry had seen that they were drawn by Thestral's, horselike creatures that could only be seen if the viewer had seen death. Suddenly, Cedric's body lay spread-eagled in Harry's mind, his eyes blank. Harry stubbornly pushed the memory away, took one last glance at the Thestral's and hopped into a carriage. He realized then that he had lost his friends. He had arrived in a carriage where he knew only one person. Luna Lovegood peered at him.

"Hi Harry." She said airily.

"Hi Luna." He returned. He said nothing else the entire carriage ride, but contented himself to watching Hogwarts loom up into the night sky ahead of him. Smiling, he knew that he was coming home again.

After exiting the carriage and hurrying through the rain that was quickly becoming a torrential downpour, he found Ron, Hermione and Ginny standing by a very familiar person.

"Harry," Lupin said, extending a hand, "good to see you again. If you could all follow me, I would like to talk about your lessons." They followed him without hesitation. They entered an empty classroom and sat down in chairs around a circular table. Lupin smiled and extracted a few pieces of parchment from within his ragged robes.

"Now then, you will all be receiving lessons this year to become Animagi. I will be your teacher, and I would prefer that none of you reveal to anyone what you are studying for. We do not your fellows students to think that Professor Dumbledore has favorites, do we? Now, I have here your letters you sent me. Harry, you stated that you wish to become an eagle Animagus." Harry nodded.

"Hermione a cat, yes?" Hermione nodded.

"Ginny, a dove?"

"Yes, Professor." She replied. Lupin smiled and looked at Ron.

"And Ron…a Lion?" Ron replied quietly,

"That's right."

"Excellent. Your first lesson will be September 11th at Noon. You will kindly meet me outside the library, and then we will continue to the area where you will be taught. I believe the eleventh is a Saturday, so I trust you won't be late. Now, hurry back to the Great Hall before you miss the feast." They all stood and exited, Harry and Ginny being the last ones in the room. Ginny was only a step ahead of Harry. As they left, Harry's hand brushed against her thigh gingerly. Ginny seemed not to notice, but Harry certainly did.

They reached the Great Hall to see that they had missed the Sorting. Dumbledore stood up as the foursome hurried to get seats at the Gryffindor House table.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said loudly. "I see that most of you are looking hungry and undernourished, so I will not hold you away from food a moment longer. Tuck in." He sat and mountains of food suddenly appeared on the golden plates in front of them. Harry didn't feel hungry. He kept trying to steal sideways glances at Ginny, who had sat down next to him. He somehow knew that that moment of touch would replace any other dream for weeks. After Ginny noticed him looking at her for the third time, he gave up and glanced over at the other House tables. His eyes eventually wandered to the Slytherin table, where Draco Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. Hurriedly, he pointed this out to Ron and Hermione,

"Maybe he's going to another school?" Hermione suggested.

"Maybe he's dead." Ron suggested, a hint of hope in his voice. It turned out that Malfoy was just late, when he followed Snape into the Great Hall minutes later. He wondered what they had been discussing, but had no time to think on it as the golden plates and goblets cleaned themselves, and Dumbledore stood once more. He opened his arms wide,

"First, I want to welcome you all again to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, this year is going to be like no other year. Many of your fellow students will suffer losses, as some already have. I want to encourage you to console those peers in any way you seem necessary." Harry glanced over at where Malfoy had sat and saw him smirking slightly. He turned his mind back to what Dumbledore was saying,

"…wants me to remind all students that magic is forbidden within the corridors of this school and that the forest is off limits to all students. Also, this year's list of forbidden objects has been expanded to include almost every item found at the store _Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes._" Dumbledore allowed the faintest of smiles to settle on the Gryffindor table before continuing. "And, finally, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Hunting." Harry noticed the new teacher for the first time that night. His mind had been too full of thoughts of Ginny to even look for a new teacher. As she stood up though, Harry's mind was completely on her. They had only ever had one female Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher before and he was surprised at how different they looked. Professor Hunting was young and good-looking, with gentle curves which made a very nice body. However, Harry didn't focus on her body. Instead he focused on her face, which seemed much to gentle to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. She waved once, her brown hair bobbing on her head, and then sat down to much applause. Most of it was from male hands. Dumbledore spoke again,

"Well, that leaves it for today. I wish you all a very good year in case I don't see you. Goodnight." At that, the entire hall stood and headed towards their common rooms. It took Harry what seemed a rather long time to reach the fat lady, who was refusing to open as no one knew the password. Ron pushed past and said,

"I know it, I know it. The password's _'Bludger.'_" Harry heard someone sigh behind him. He looked round and saw Neville Longbottom.

"Hey Neville."

"Hi, Harry. No too bad this year is it. The password, I mean. I might actually remember it." Harry grinned and entered the common room. He didn't bother stopping to talk to anyone as he crossed to the stairs leading up to his dormitory. He was too tired. It had been a long day, and as he undressed to get into bed, his thoughts returned to Ginny. He could see her hair rippling slightly as she flew around the forest in the back of The Burrow. He could still smell the mixture of smells from her perfume and shampoo as she gave him that hug at his birthday party. Most of all, he could still feel her thigh brush against his hand. He fell asleep and she continued to run wildly through his dreams, as he knew she would.

A/N: I know, I know. It's getting more and more mushy, and no, you won't get to see anything they do together in later chapters, so don't ask! Anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter. The next one will be coming up soon, I hope.

MISC STUFF: It seems I'm updating more than once a week. Fine by me, how about you?

I would like to thank a few people before I carry on writing this fic:

JK Rowling – For creating this universe

Ryan Worstell a.k.a Mako Thunderbird – For introducing me to this site.

My brother– For introducing me to these books

My brother's English teacher – For introducing my brother to the books

Bloodless Ace – For helping me get my genders right

And finally…

The voices in my head – For telling me to write this thing.


	4. The Teacher and the Owl

**Harry Potter and the Eagle's Flight**

By Cuthbert the Pure

A/N: Not much to say, but I've really enjoyed writing this story. Please review.

Disclaimer: Once upon a time, I owned Mr. Harry Potter and everything else in this story, but JK killed me and stole it, so it's all hers. I bow before her awesome greatness.

**Chapter Four: The Teacher and the Owl**

Harry woke the next morning to a feeling of great happiness. He was finally home…for a whole year before he had to go back to the Dursley's. The thoughts of Ginny weren't gone, but he desperately pushed them into the back of his mind, hoping that he could concentrate on his classes. So, after jumping out of bed and pulling on some clothes, he hurried down into the common room to find Ron. He was standing over by the notice board.

"Anything worth noticing?" Harry asked him as he headed over.

"Well, apparition lessons start in two days, but nothing else, mate." Ron replied. Harry nodded, and Ron continued,

"You should put up a notice about Quidditch tryouts, I'm dying to know when I'm gonna make a fool of myself." Harry frowned,

"You're already on the team, mate. Everyone who was on the team last year is back on if they want to be. And besides, you're too good to let go if you screw up at tryouts." Ron's ears turned slightly red, but he was saved the trouble of answering when Katie Bell strolled up to them.

"Did I just hear you say that I'm still on the team, Harry?" Harry nodded with a smile.  
"Good, but Angelina just told me that she's taking herself off it to concentrate on her schoolwork. She takes NEWTs at the end of the year, you know. And besides," Katie lowered her voice to a whisper, "I think she's been really upset about Fred not being here anymore. Quidditch would only upset her." Harry was furious about the news of his best Chaser resigning, but he managed to nod knowingly. He had known that Angelina had always had a soft spot for Fred, and he could understand how she felt.

"So, when are you gonna put the notice up anyway?" Katie asked.

"I have to talk to Professor McGonagall to book a time on the pitch, but I'll put it up tomorrow after she tells me when we can hold them," Harry replied. Katie nodded and headed out of the portrait hole down to breakfast. Harry and Ron glanced at each other before heading out after her. They reached the Great Hall to find Hermione already behind a large stack of books, chewing furiously on a piece of toast, while flipping through a book entitled _Becoming an Animagus: The Do's and Do not's._ Ron stared,

"Hermione, Professor Lupin said to try and keep it a secret about what we're doing." Hermione just waved a hand impatiently,

"Everyone knows I take books out of the library for background reading. This one was in the restricted section. I had to get a note from Professor McGonagall to get it." Ron frowned,

"McGonagall actually signed the note after you told her which book you wanted?" Hermione sighed,

"Of course she did. All the teacher know about what we're doing, Ron." Ron oh'd in a defeated sort of tone and sat down, pulling the large bowl of porridge towards him and ladling some into his own bowl. Harry had only managed to sit down when Professor McGonagall handed him his course schedule. He scanned it quickly. He was only taking four classes; Defense against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions. He had two classes a day, but each class lasted almost two hours. His first class was Charms, followed by Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ron's was the same. Hermione was taking three classes a day, though, and she told them,

"You're only taking four classes this year? Oh, I see," she murmured, looking at Ron's schedule, "you have the last period off all year. Well, come on, let's go or we'll be late for Charms." Ron stuffed the last bit of porridge in his mouth and, mimicking Harry, grabbed his backpack and caught up with Hermione, who was already halfway across the Great Hall. Ron engaged in an argument with Hermione about being too early for classes, but Harry wasn't listening. His thoughts were back on Ginny. Hermione must have noticed that his mind wasn't on schoolwork, because when they were sitting down in the Charms room, she nudged him hard in the ribs to bring him back to reality. Professor Flitwick was talking,

"Welcome to my NEWT class, students. This year you will be learning about advanced Charm work and…" Harry looked around the classroom and noticed that most of the students who were in his Charm class last year had passed their OWL. He even saw Neville sitting in the back. A few Ravenclaw students had also joined them.

"…we will be learning about Shrinking Charms. They are the opposite of the Engorgement Charm, which we learning last year, but they are much harder to perform. So, if you will take out your copy of _NEWT Standard Charms_, we can begin learning the wand movement for the Shrinking Charm." The next half hour of the class was devoted the learning the wand movement to Shrink an object. It was a sharp jab. When Professor Flitwick had corrected Neville's jabbing movement for the tenth time, he spoke again,

"Now, if you'll take a look at the object in front of you…" Harry had a stuffed bear with rather large, round eyes. "…you'll notice that it isn't very big. Eventually, we'll be shrinking much larger objects and even animals, but I thought I would start you off small. Right, the incantation for Shrinking is _Mimico._ Make sure to pronounce right. So, off you go." The rest of the class was spent with many failed attempts at shrinking the objects in front of them. Harry was pleased to notice that by the end of the class, he had managed to make those big, round eyes into tiny, black beads. The rest if his bear was the same size. Only Hermione and two other Ravenclaw students had managed to make miniature models of their objects. The entire class was told to practice the charm.

From Charms, they headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was always the most highly anticipated class of the year, as every year they had a new teacher. Professor Hunting turned out to be rather interesting.

"Please sit down quietly, and put your books and wands away for now." She said as they entered the classroom and sat down. "Right, you are all here because you have acquired an Exceeds Expectations OWL for Defense Against the Dark Arts. This year, you will be learning how to cast and deflect some of the most dangerous curses known to wizard kind. The book you have purchased will not teach you much this year. However, the first hour of this class you will be reading it to learn to correct ways to cast and deflect the Blinding Curse. This curse will temporarily blind your adversary giving you a chance to either run away or cast another curse of your choice." A smile broke across her face as she spoke. Harry looked around the room again and saw that the entire D.A. had managed at least an E in their OWL, as they sat a various tables around the room. They were pulling their books from their packs, and so Harry followed suit. The most interesting part of the first hour was as Ron was practicing the wand movement, and managed to blind Ernie Macmillan without saying a word. Ernie yelled that he couldn't see. Professor Hunting made herself heard over his yells,

"Mr. Macmillan, calm down. Mr. Weasley has just accidentally performed the blinding curse on you. Congratulations, Mr. Weasley, you have just performed a silent curse. I personally do not approve the use of silent curses in this classroom. Can I ask, Mr. Weasley, were you pointing your wand at Mr. Macmillan when you were practicing the movement?"

"No, Professor. I was pointing it at the floor." Ron replied quietly.

"Exactly," Hunting spoke, "as you can see, the silent curse isn't at all accurate. You could have easily blinded myself or Miss Bell, who sits behind you." The class murmured quietly for a moment or two, until everyone managed to look back into their books. The best part of the class was the second hour, when they split up into pairs and practiced the curse. Yells of _Siglio _filled the classroom. They were followed by yells as a few people where blinded successfully. Harry had paired up with Ron, and Ron had actually managed to blind Harry slightly. His vision was almost gone, but he could still see blurred shapes moving around through his eyes. After a few minutes, his sight had returned and he performed the curse upon Ron. After ten minutes of practicing, Professor Hunting stopped them and said,

"Excellent, you're all making very good progress. Now, if you'll all attempt to deflect the curse back at your partner. If performed correctly, the shield charm will deflect the curse back at your adversary, effectively blinding them. Go." So, they all tried to defend themselves against the curse. This proved a lot harder than the curse itself. Because the Blinding Curse was so powerful, a much stronger _Protego _was needed to defend the curse. At the end of the class, Professor Hunting spoke above the noise of them leaving the classroom,

"You will all be tested on the correct ways to cast and protect against the Blinding Curse next class. Practice if you think…" Her voice faded away as Harry exited the classroom with Ron and Hermione.

"Well, that was a pretty good day, wasn't it?" Harry nodded, but Hermione replied in a huff,

"Speak for yourself. I still have Ancient Runes to go, and that is a very hard subject." Ron grinned and said,

"Come on, lunch first Hermione." At lunch, Owls arrived. Harry got a letter from Hagrid.

_Harry,_

_Come on down after lunch. I know you don't have any more classes today. Bring Ron and Hermione as well. We can have a cup o' tea and talk about your first day._

_Hagrid_

"Oh, tell him I had another class, will you Harry?" Hermione pleaded after she had read the note. Harry told her he would, and so after finishing his pudding and bidding Hermione good luck with Ancient Runes in the Entrance Hall, Ron and Harry headed across the grounds to Hagrid's hut.

"There ya are. I was thinkin' you mighta gone an' forgot about me. Not taking my classes an' all…" Harry had suspected this was coming so he tried to interrupt, but saw Hagrid was smiling.

"S'alright 'Arry. I know you lot wanna become Aurors an' all. Don't worry 'bout it." They spent the next hour and a half telling Hagrid how their day had been. Ron was in the middle of telling him how he had successfully performed the Blinding Curse on Harry his first try when Hagrid looked out the window and gasped.

"Oh, I almo' forgot. My firs' class is startin'. You two had better go. Come down and visit me sometime, yea?" They told him they would and then exited the cabin, looked across the first students to endure Hagrid's creatures this year. Harry noticed Ginny walking with a group of fifth years across the grass towards him. His heart jumped into his throat when she smiled and waved at him and Ron. He waved back awkwardly. He then felt Ron's eyes on him, so he composed himself and headed back up towards the castle. He heard Hagrid saying loudly,

"I've got something really excitin' for you lot today…" Ron and Harry laughed.

Back in the common room, they practiced Shrinking Charms until Hermione came back from Ancient Runes. They decided they would rather practice when she wasn't there to breath down their necks as they got it wrong. Instead, they had a few rough games of wizard chess which took up most of the afternoon. They headed down for dinner as Hermione and Ron started to have another argument. Harry had learned to ignore them, but he couldn't help notice that Professor Hunting was missing from the staff table as they entered the Great Hall. Shaking it from his head, he sat down and loaded his plate with smoked salmon. His three immense losses to Ron had made him rather hungry. Katie came and sat next to him a minute later and they engaged in a conversation about Quidditch tryouts. Harry then remembered that he had forgotten to ask Professor McGonagall about a tryout time. He told himself he would ask her after dinner. Just as Katie told him that Seamus Finnigan was showing excellent promise as a beater, Harry noticed an Owl had swooped into the Great Hall. Everything had suddenly gone quiet, as a lone owl usually meant a Howler. This envelope wasn't scarlet, but just a regular off white color. It winged it's way towards the Hufflepuff table and dropped it's charge in front of third year girl Harry had never met. The Owl then swooped out of the hall, leaving the Hufflepuff girl very confused. She opened the envelope slowly, and read the letter as everyone in the hall watched quietly. As the girl read the letter, Harry noticed her eyes fill with tears. Then, as she finished, she burst out sobbing and ran from the hall, the letter still clutched in her hand. Her two friends rushed out after her. Harry wondered silently what that letter had said, but then remembered something Dumbledore had said at the Welcoming Feast. _ 'Many of your fellow students will suffer losses, as some already have,'_ was what he had said. Harry turned and looked at him to see that Dumbledore's eyes were shining slightly with something that wasn't candlelight.

After the owl had arrived, the Great Hall had remained very quiet, with only murmurs punctuating the still air. Then, Harry saw Professor McGonagall stand and begin to leave.

"See you in the common room." He said to Ron and Hermione and then stood, hurrying out of the hall and after Professor McGonagall. He caught her on the first stair up to the second floor.

"Professor! Professor, wait!" He shouted after her. She turned and, seeing Harry, gave a rare smile,

"Mr. Potter? I don't believe you have my class until tomorrow, what could you possibly want to speak with me about?" Harry replied quickly,

"When is the next available date I can book the Quidditch field for tryouts?" McGonagall smiled,

"I was wondering when you would ask me that, Mr. Potter. I believe that the eleventh of this month is free. That should give you time to train your new players before the first game. And don't worry about your lesson at noon. Professor Lupin has told me it will only take an hour or two." Harry nodded, bid goodnight to McGonagall and then headed back upstairs to the common room. He immediately saw Ron working on Blinding Curses in the corner of a room with Hermione. Ron was currently rubbing his eyes furiously, while Hermione was talking to him. Harry grinned and grabbed some parchment from a first year working on Transfiguration homework and wrote in block letters on it.

QUIDDITCH TRYOUTS WILL BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 11TH. ANY GRYFFINDOR WANTING A PLACE ON THE TEAM WILL BE EXPECTED TO BE ON THE FIELD AT 3 PM SHARP. AVAILABLE SPOTS ARE:

2 CHASERS

2 BEATERS

Harry looked it over once and then pinned it up on the notice board. Grinning happily, he joined Ron and Hermione over in the corner. Ron was gradually regaining his sight, and he managed to squint at the notice board,

"The eleventh, mate? That's the day of our lesson, we'll never make it to the field on time…" Hermione was the one that answered him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron. I highly doubt that we'll spend three hours practicing." Ron nodded and stood up. He said to Hermione,

"Alright, this time let me cast it on you…I need practice as well, ya know?" Hermione nodded and when Ron cast the curse, Hermione was instantly blinded. Ron grinned at Harry. He sidled over to his favorite seat by the fire, to find someone already sitting in it. It was Ginny.

"Oh, hi Harry. Not working on Blinding Curses with Ron and Hermione?" Harry shook his head and took the seat next to Ginny. He looked at the parchment under her quill.

"Potions, Ginny?" She nodded, he continued, "I have that tomorrow. I can't believe I made it to his NEWT class. How is he this year?" Ginny smiled slowly,

"Like an overgrown bat."

"So the usual then?" They both laughed. Harry spent the rest of the evening pointing out mistakes to Ginny in her paper and insulting Snape as much as he could. He found it extremely easy to talk to Ginny. Admittedly, it was harder when she was laughing, smiling, running her hands through her hair, or blushing at something Harry had said. At eleven o'clock, Ginny went to bed, but Harry lingered by the dying embers of the fire. His mind was mostly filled with thoughts of Ginny, but he also thought of the owl at dinnertime. He wondered vaguely what he would do if Ron or Ginny received one of those owls. At midnight, he went to bed.

A/N: Chapter four is finished. I have to admit that the entirety of this chapter was not all my idea. The part of the lone owl delivering the letter was actually part of the fic _Alone_ by _NotYourAverageSchoolgirl._ Very angsty story…find it and read it. Must go tho…cya soon!

MISC STUFF: Thanks to Bloodless Ace and V.CAndrewsClone for reviewing and giving me confidence.


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